General Service Unit (GSU) Kenya: In-Depth Overview

The following in-depth overview of the General Service Unit (GSU) has a special focus on Kenya. The content has a brief introduction, the history of GSU, the wing’s personnel and its organizational structure.

Introduction

It can be referred to as a small military because its organizational structure, training, subculture, and function are similar to those of a professional military.

The General Service Unit is not however included as part of a state’s formal armed forces. In Kenya, the Kenya Defence Forces is the umbrella of all armed forces.

GSU consists of highly trained police officers, transported by seven dedicated small, piston-powered jets and three Bell helicopters, which are fighter helicopters.

Objectives of General Service Unit (GSU) in Kenya

The Kenyan police outline the objectives of the GSU as follows,

• To deal with situations affecting internal security throughout the Republic,
• To be an operational force that is not intended for use on duties of a permanent static nature,
• To be a reserve force to deal with special operations and civil.

History

The General Service Unit has been in existence since the late 1940s.

It has fought in a number of conflicts in and around Kenya, including the 1963 – 1969 Shifta War and the 1982 Kenyan coup.

The service wing was initially created as the Emergency Company or Regular Police Reserve in 1948 during the colonial period, consisting of a unit of 50 men armed with Bren guns carriers and armoured cars.

During this period, it was involved in a number of uprisings including the Mau Mau Uprising.

It eventually was renamed the General Service Unit in September 1953 and it consisted of 47 European officers and 1058 Africans.

Currently, the GSU has around 5,000 paramilitary troops, of which 2000 are the Israeli trained and battle hardened ‘Recce group’.

Organizational Structure

The GSU is organised in companies. Each of the companies works under a company commander.

Four of these companies, regarded as the ‘big four’ have commanding officers and they include the following

• The GSU Training School at Embakasi
• The Recce Company based at Ruiru
• The Headquarters Company based at Ruaraka Nairobi, and
• The (Presidential) Guard Company ‘G’ coy whose officers are solely charged with the duties of protecting the various state houses and lodges.

The other companies are listed in alphabetical order starting from ‘A’ company to ‘Q’ company. There is no ‘o’ company. Each company consists of three platoons and the company headquarters personnel. Originally a platoon consisted of 30 personnel but nowadays a platoon can have as many as 60 members.

Personnel and training

Initially, GSU members were drawn from the existing ranks of the Kenyan Police force. Apart from this, they were from a number of ethnic backgrounds, and were trained in the Kenya Police College and placed on a two-year tour of duty.

Today however, Gsu members are drawn from a wide range of ethnic platforms. In addition, all GSU members are trained at the GSU-specific Training School in Embakasi and its Field Training Camp in Magadi, on 10-month-long courses, with further 5-month long courses required for promotion.

GSU also sends its officers to Great Britain to be trained in such facilities as the Britannia Royal Naval College and Sandhurst.